Facebook's New Emoji 'Reactions' Are Coming 'Pretty Soon'

Facebook's solution to the frequently requested "dislike" button will be coming to users worldwide "pretty soon," according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

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The company revealed last October it was testing "Reactions," a set of emoji that can be selected when liking a post doesn't feel right. The new feature was tested in Ireland, Japan and Spain.

The five emoji will let Facebook users say "wow," express love and laughter or sadness and anger. A sixth reaction announced in October, the "yay" button, was ultimately rejected because "it was not universally understood," a Facebook spokesperson told Bloomberg.

Chris Cox, chief product officer at Facebook, said in an October post that he hoped the reactions will satisfy those who are looking for new ways to express their feelings.

"As you can see, it's not a 'dislike' button, though we hope it addresses the spirit of this request more broadly," Cox wrote on his Facebook page. "We studied which comments and reactions are most commonly and universally expressed across Facebook, then worked to design an experience around them that was elegant and fun."

Zuckerberg has also gotten the message loud and clear from Facebook users who wanted more ways to interact with a post. At a town hall last year he summed it up by saying: "What they really want is the ability to express empathy. Not every moment is a good moment."